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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29605293">Ridges Between Rice Fields</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/aerlinniel/pseuds/aerlinniel'>aerlinniel</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Naruto AUs [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Naruto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Chuunin Exams, Eventual Romance, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Genin Era, Haruno Sakura-centric, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Naruto Time Skip | Naruto Shippuden, Pre-Relationship, Sasuke grows up with Shisui, Slow Burn, Strong Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Massacre, Uchiha Shisui Lives</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 05:35:07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>11,260</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29605293</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/aerlinniel/pseuds/aerlinniel</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone knew that only two people had survived the Uchiha Massacre.</p><p>In which somehow, despite everything he intended and planned, Shisui survives the massacre.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dai-nana-han | Team 7 (Friendship), Haruno Sakura &amp; Uchiha Shisui, Haruno Sakura/Uchiha Shisui, Uchiha Itachi &amp; Uchiha Shisui, Uchiha Sasuke &amp; Uchiha Shisui</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Naruto AUs [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2135625</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>220</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Heavy, dark clouds had begun to roll in by the time Sakura and her mother reached Konoha’s memorial stone. A gentle breeze blew through the clearing. It was humid and sweet, filled with a pungent, ozone-like smell that hinted at incoming rain. Walking past the myriad of commemorative objects and dedications scattered around the area, they stopped before the stone monument. It was tall, far taller than what she had thought it would be. Small, carved letters covered its sides, listing the names of those who had died in service to Konoha.</p><p>Sakura pressed the wreath her mother and her had purchased against her chest. It was a pretty pink and white arrangement of lilies and roses, all arranged ahead of time in Yamanaka Flowers by Inoichi. A tiny handwritten card stuck out discreetly amidst the leaves and flowers in the wreath’s top—<em>‘To Kizashi, with unending love, from Mebuki and Sakura’</em>.</p><p>“Do you want to place the wreath, Sakura?”</p><p>Sakura looked at her mother, who had already kneeled in front of the memorial in order to offer some prayers. Though her voice was soft, as it had been for much of the day, her face was drawn and haggard. Nodding, she stepped forwards and kneeled beside her. Breathing in, she leant forwards and laid the wreath amongst the other dedications, as close to her father’s name as she could. A moment later she put her hands together in prayer and closed her eyes.</p><p>It had been a year since the mission her father had never returned from. She still hadn’t gotten used to his absence, and neither had her mother, for all she had tried to avoid showing grief in front of her. Something had gone missing from their family home ever since his death, though she couldn’t quite tell what. It was dourer now, bleak and glum. Quieter than it had ever been, and significantly less joyful.</p><p>Minutes passed before they stood back up and began to leave the area. Sakura followed her mother as they made their way through the empty training grounds and back to the bustling streets of the village. Silently, she brushed the strap of the bag hanging from her shoulder. It was barely mid-morning, and her classmates would still be at one of the academy’s classes.</p><p>The thought made Sakura come to a sudden stop. She didn’t want to return home quite yet, not with how empty it had been throughout the entirety of the past year. “Mum?”</p><p>Mebuki turned to look at her. “Yes, Sakura?”</p><p>A raindrop fell onto her nose, and was quickly followed by a second one. It was starting to rain. “Could I return home later?” she asked. Her fingers tightened around her small, brown bag’s strap. “I’d like to go to the park, to—”</p><p>“To train again?”</p><p>Sakura pressed her lips together. It wasn’t the only reason why she wanted to avoid returning home, but it was close enough to the truth. “Yes,” she answered.</p><p>“Are you sure?” Mebuki asked. Her brows ceased with worry. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to. I can understand if you’d rather rest at home.”</p><p>“I want to,” she answered. “I need to, if I want to be able to become a Genin. Dad said—”.</p><p>Mebuki sighed. “I’m sorry, Sakura. It’s all been so…” She shook her head, smiling weakly. “Just make sure to come back before it’s dark so we can have dinner together, alright?”</p><p>A smile quickly grew on Sakura’s face. Taking a step forwards, she hugged her mother. “Thank you!” she said.</p><p>Breaking away, Sakura turned around and ran. Keeping her hands clenched around her bag’s strap, she turned into a side street and began to cut through Konoha’s crowded market streets, quickly making her way towards the Senju Park. The weight of the scrolls and notebooks she had used at the academy early in the morning pressed against her lower back as she ran, weighing her down. Her hair, short ever since her father’s death, fluttered in the wind behind her.</p><p>Ino had been the one that had helped her to cut and trim it, though she hadn’t initially understood why Sakura had wanted it short again. The blonde girl had approached her a few days after her father’s death, her worry evident despite her somewhat bossy attitude. They hadn’t managed to regain their old friendship quite yet, but things were a far call from how they had been the year before.</p><p>It was raining by the time Sakura reached the park's main entrance. Coming to a near-halt, she walked through the rectangular birch-framed, white plaster structure. She didn’t have an umbrella, but that didn’t matter. She knew a place where she could sit down take cover.</p><p>Turning left, she passed by a stone pagoda and began to walk towards the north end of the park. The rain, refreshing and oddly light, pitter-pattered against the ground. It was a beautiful place, all trees, flowers, and grass around the calm waters of the park’s single lake.</p><p>Her shirt was damp and half-clinging to her skin by the time she spotted a wooden gazebo half-hidden within a small grove of trees, just off the park’s main path. Smiling, she began to approach the usually empty structure, mentally running through the different sets of notes she wanted to revise first.</p><p>She didn’t see the teenager sitting on one of the gazebo’s benches until she was practically in front of him. Though he must have been tall, she couldn’t quite tell with the way he was slouching. He was wearing a high-collared dark outfit and black sandals. A tanto was strapped from a harness at the back of his shoulder. His forehead and right eye were covered by a hitai-ate.</p><p>Sakura blinked. <em>A shinobi, then</em>, she thought.</p><p>She pressed her lips together and quickly contemplated her next course of action. He was sitting at one of the ends of the gazebo, leaving the rest of the space free. He also hadn’t turned to look at her despite her obvious approach, and, judging by the half-finished skewer of dango he was holding, he wasn’t planning on training in the area.</p><p>Yes, it was clear. She could still study here.</p><p>Mind made up, Sakura walked into the gazebo and sat down on one of the benches. Dropping her bag onto the space besides her, she opened it and took out a scroll, a notebook, a pencil, and a rubber. Placing the scroll on one of her knees, she opened her notebook and began to copy a diagram of the circulation system, adding notes and labels as she went along.</p><p>The rain had started to pelt down by the time Sakura glanced at the shinobi again.</p><p>He looked somewhat familiar, though she didn’t think that she had ever seen him before. His hair, short and unkept, was some of the darkest she had ever seen. His eyes, at least from what little she could see of his uncovered one, were dark enough to look like charcoal.</p><p>Sakura frowned and leant forwards, attempting to observe him discreetly. She had never seen anyone cover either of their eyes quite like that, though Iruka had used it as a cautionary tale earlier in the year.</p><p><em>Is his other eye damaged?</em> she wondered.</p><p>Her eraser slipped from her hand and bounced away. Before she could think to reach for it, the shinobi had caught and offered it back to her.</p><p>“Here,” he said.</p><p>He smiled as she took the eraser. “Thank you.”</p><p>The shinobi nodded and looked down at her scroll. His eyebrows rose at the sight of the different diagrams depicted within it. “Medical ninjutsu?” he asked.</p><p>Sakura shook her head. “Oh no, not yet. I want to, eventually, but—.” She paused and looked back to her notes before meeting the shinobi’s single visible eye again. “I need to memorise a lot of things first.”</p><p>“Aren’t you in the academy?”</p><p>“I am. I don’t have a good grasp on any of this, but if I work hard, maybe—.” She bit her lip and breathed in, feeling nervous at what most likely was a fairly mediocre explanation. Why would a proper shinobi care about any of this? “I’m not too good at other things, not really, but I think I can learn this.”</p><p>The shinobi didn’t laugh at her. “Why medical ninjutsu?” he asked, openly curious. “Why not other ninjutsu or bukijutsu, like other kids your age?”</p><p>The image of her father flashed through Sakura’s mind. Smiling wistfully, she looked away. “I’d like to be able to help others if I can one day,” she said hesitantly. She had said as much to her mother before, immediately after her father’s death, but she hadn’t ever received a proper reply. “The only thing I really excel at in the academy is chakra control, so it seemed like a good place to start.”</p><p>The shinobi leant back and observed her for a few seconds before finally smiling. Standing back up, he walked towards the outer edge of the gazebo and ate the final piece of dango. Absentmindedly, Sakura noticed the familiar-looking fan on the back of his shirt.</p><p>“Try some chakra control exercises once you’re done with the anatomy. I don’t know too much about medical ninjutsu, but from what I understand chakra control lies at its heart,” he said, seemingly unaware of the water pelting him. “Leaf concentration practice, if you haven’t done it at the academy yet. If not, tree climbing.”</p><p>Sakura nodded. Then, before she could so much as say thanks, he had vanished from the area.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>A large group of girls had congregated outside of the academy’s main gates by the time Sakura exited the building. They had been there since the classes had ended, as was the case most days. Further beyond, closer to the training hall, a group of boys glared at the object of interest of the gathering girls—Sasuke—who was just leaving himself.</p><p>She spotted Ino as soon as she went through the main gates, standing to a side. The blonde girl looked oddly pensive and focused—a far cry from the crowding girls nearby. Sakura met her eyes and smiled, only to be slightly surprised when the other girl did the same.</p><p>She had missed the other, more boisterous and confident girl. </p><p>Sakura pressed on into the streets, directing herself towards one of the parks closest to the academy. It had become one of her usual practice grounds, if only due to how empty it tended to be.</p><p>It wasn’t long before Sakura found herself standing before a particularly tall tree. Dropping her bag onto the ground, she mentally began to run through the different exercises that had been listed in the scrolls recommended to her by the strange shinobi. She had tried out most of the beginner-level chakra control exercises already, and had even managed to do them fairly well. The tree climbing exercise was one of the few that she hadn’t tried out yet, so it was only logical to attempt it next.</p><p>Brushing at her red dress absentmindedly, Sakura pressed her lips together and looked up at the tree. No matter how tall it seemed, so long as she focused her chakra to the bottom of her feet and used it to cling to the trunk, she should be able to manage it. The only trick would be to use only the necessary amount of chakra—no more, no less—and to maximise its effectiveness.</p><p><em>Control. It’s all about control</em>, she thought.</p><p>Breathing in deeply, she took a step forwards and placed her foot on the base of the tree.</p><p>The bark cracked.</p><p>Sakura’s eyes widened. <em>Did I use to much chakra?</em></p><p>Slowly, she placed her foot at the base of the tree again. Avoiding the damaged bark, she lessened the stream of chakra to her feet, lifted her other foot, and—.</p><p>It stuck.</p><p>Smiling, she took another step, this time up the tree trunk. After that came another and another, until she had reached one of the highest parts of the tree. Slowly, she sat on one of its branches and, smiling, looked down at the empty park around her. The scrolls, though introductory in nature, had stated that the exercise usually took more than a few tries to achieve, with additional levels of difficulty involving practicing the exercise whilst focusing on something else. After that, there was only water walking.</p><p>Would she be able to do any of that?</p><p>It was dark by the time she returned home. Her dress was a mess, both from her repeated tree-climbing—which had left an assortment of tears in the fabric—and the sudden downpour which had soaked her through to the bone. Her mother greeted her at the door, tell-tale frown on her face as she greeted her.</p><p>“It’s already past dinner, Sakura.”</p><p>Sakura winced. “Sorry. I got distracted training and—,” she sputtered.</p><p>“Again?” Mebuki sighed and shook her head. “Just be more careful next time, alright? I was beginning to get worried.” She smiled weakly, as if to reassure her, though the expression quickly disappeared as her eyes drifted down and took in the state of Sakura’s clothes. “Just what were you doing, Sakura?”</p><p>Sakura couldn’t help but smile. “Practicing tree climbing.”</p><p>“In this weather?” her mother said. She shook her head. “Come in and dry yourself, or you’ll get a cold.”</p><p>Nodding, Sakura entered the living room. Quickly making her way through it, she entered her room and rummaged around her wardrobe, searching for something dry to wear.</p><p>A plate with some rice and pork had been set on the table by the time she returned to the living room.</p><p>Mebuki smiled at her from her seat at the sofa and closed the book on her lap. “It’s much better to be dry, isn’t it?” she said before turning to gesture at the plates on the table. “I just warmed it up for you, it was cold by the time you arrived. There’s also anmitsu for desert in the fridge—your favourite.”</p><p>Sakura sat at the table. Avoiding her mother’s eyes, she looked down at the dinner plate. It smelt wonderfully comforting and savoury. “Thank you,” she said, feeling slightly ashamed.</p><p>Her mother leaned back and observed Sakura as she ate. “Tree climbing, Sakura?” she said softly. “I don’t think I can remember your father talking about things like that being taught at the academy. Not anymore, at least.”</p><p>Sakura looked away from her dinner plate. “It’s just something I was recommended by someone. Apparently, it’s supposed to help a lot if I want to practice chakra control.”</p><p>“Did you get hurt?” She paused. “How did it go?”</p><p>“Not at all” Sakura said, beaming. “I managed to do it on my first try. I could even move onto water walking if I wanted to. If I manage to get that right too, then, maybe—.”</p><p>Mebuki smiled wearily. “I’m glad,” she said. She looked down and frowned, seeming to realise something. “Who recommended it to you? Was it a friend?”</p><p>“Not quite. Just a shinobi I met at the Senju Park recently,” she answered. “He saw the medical scrolls I’ve been studying and said it’d be useful.”</p><p>Her mother nodded, as in agreement, though the gesture was slightly unconvincing. “Just be careful, alright Sakura? I wouldn’t want you getting hurt,” she said. “You know how dangerous being a shinobi is.”</p><p>Sakura frowned and looked away, towards one of the many family photographs displayed on the living room’s walls. “I know.”</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>The gazebo was empty the time Sakura visited it. Its interior, strangely dry despite the heavy downpour around it, showed no signs of the shinobi she had met a week earlier.</p><p>It was still early afternoon. Outside the rain was pelting, filling the humid air with a constant thrumming noise as it hit the earth. The puddles on the ground glistened green and grey, near-identical mirrors of the heavily overcast sky and the grove of trees surrounding them.</p><p>Shutting her umbrella, Sakura took a seat on her usual bench and opened her bag in search of a scroll. Crossing her legs as she opened it, she prepared herself to read through the chakra control exercises it contained. They were more advanced than the ones that the previous scroll had listed, and considerably more focused on water walking. A few explanations on the theory behind it stood out amidst a sea of annotations and diagrams, all detailed enough to give her a fighting chance of attempting the exercises without having to ask for help.</p><p>“I see you’ve been reading what I recommended.”</p><p>Sakura’s eyes darted up at the sudden, unexpected voice, only to relax at the sight of the same shinobi she had met a week ago. He was smiling from where he stood by the gazebo’s entrance, holding a can of something together with another skewer of dango.</p><p>She observed him as he silently sat down and bit into one of the pieces of dango. His hair was wet and messy, though his clothes didn’t seem to be nearly as damp. His hitai-ate was, once again, covering his right eye.</p><p>The shinobi leant forwards and looked over the details of her scroll. “So, how did you find the exercises?” he asked.</p><p>Sakura found herself smiling at the kind tone of voice. “Good,” she said. “Most scrolls were only available for Genin, but I managed to find a few that were available for Academy students.” She paused and smiled, thinking about her success. “I didn’t have problems with the tree climbing.”</p><p>His eyebrows rose. “Really?” he asked. “It usually takes Genin a few days to get right.”</p><p>“The bark cracked a bit on my first time, but I managed it soon after that.”</p><p>The shinobi leant back and rested an arm along the bench’s backrest. Humming, he observed silently for a few moments, seemingly in thought. “Have you tried the water walking exercise yet?”</p><p>Sakura shook her head. “Not yet, but I wanted to try soon,” she said. Her eyes darted to the scroll on her lap. “I’d attempt it today, but the rain—.”</p><p>The shinobi nodded. “Well,” he mused, “if it took you managed to learn tree climbing that quickly you shouldn’t have any trouble with water walking. The trick’s in adjusting the chakra to the water flow, but that becomes instinctive after a while.”</p><p>Sakura ran a hand through her hair. “Really?” she asked incredulously. She barely managed to be passable in ninjutsu and taijutsu, unlike some of her other classmates, and anything she did manage to achieve and do well was only the result of hard work and practice.</p><p>The corners of the shinobi’s lips quirked up. “If you managed to tree climb before being a Genin you shouldn’t find any trouble with it. The two aren’t that different.” He took another bite from the dango. “Beyond that, there’s a whole range of techniques that require good chakra control. Genjutsu, for one.”</p><p>Sakura’s eyes widened. “Genjutsu…?” she muttered. “Are you sure? I’m not that good with ninjutsu.”</p><p>The shinobi nodded. “A good grasp of chakra if one wants to use it effectively.” He paused and glanced at her scroll before continuing, this time more pensively. “It’s very rare to see an academy student have the level of chakra control required to complete the tree walking exercise. You’d likely excel at medical ninjutsu and genjutsu.”</p><p>Something in Sakura’s chest lightened. She nodded slowly, not quite knowing how to respond to the older shinobi’s compliment. A comfortable silence settled between them as she turned away and looked at the park’s lake.</p><p>“Why are you helping me?” she asked. His recommendations had been useful, incredibly so, but no one had ever bothered to do so before. Not to her in particular, anyways.</p><p>A smile grew on the shinobi’s face. “Why not?” he asked with a warm voice. “The more interesting question is—just what is an academy student is doing here, studying alone after classes have ended?”</p><p>Something about his question annoyed her. “And what are you doing here, too?” she replied. “Don’t Chunin or Jounin have better things to do?”</p><p>His smile widened at her reply. He was amused. “Ah. I just like to come here when I’m not on a mission.”</p><p>Sakura knit her brows and glanced at the skewer of dango and can he had brought with him. How often did he like to come here, anyways? Was there nowhere else he’d rather be at?</p><p>The shinobi laughed, likely guessing her thoughts, and gestured at the area around them. “It’s a nice place to be in, if you hadn’t noticed,” he said playfully.</p><p>She couldn’t help but to smile back. “I suppose it is,” she agreed. “I usually go to other parks when I want to train outside, but since it was raining again today, I thought I’d come here again.”</p><p>She looked away as a heavy, guilt-like feeling settled in her stomach at the thought of her mother. By the time she looked back at the shinobi he was facing away from her. His posture allowed her a glimpse of the symbol at the back of his shirt, only barely visible beneath the harness fastened over his shoulders.</p><p>Her eyes widened. She could recognise it. “That fan…” she muttered.</p><p>He didn't turn to face her. “Ah.” It was a dull, weighty syllable; one that a smile couldn't have produced. “I take you've seen it before?”</p><p>Sakura swallowed and looked away. She knew he did. How couldn’t she, after all the time she had spent focusing on the other boy before her father’s last mission?</p><p>“A classmate at the academy—Sasuke—wears one, I think,” she finally said.</p><p>The shinobi’s posture softened. “So, you’re a classmate of Sasuke’s?” he asked, glancing back at her.</p><p>“Since I entered the academy,” she confirmed. “Are you related? He wears the same fan on his clothes.”</p><p>He smiled lopsidedly. “He’s my cousin.”</p><p>Sakura’s eyes widened. “Oh,” she said. It was obvious, now that she thought about it, though she couldn’t remember ever hearing Sasuke talk about his family. “You both look quite similar; I should have realised it before.”</p><p>“Don’t worry about it.”</p><p>Sakura nodded. Making up her mind, she placed her scroll on the bench and stood up. Taking a few steps forwards, she nervously reached out her hand. “I’m Sakura. Sakura Haruno,” she said. “I should have asked your name before, but I didn’t remember until it was too late. Sorry.”</p><p>“There’s no need to apologise for something like that,” he said earnestly. He took her hand and shook it gently. “Shisui Uchiha.”</p><p>Sakura smiled. “Thank you for recommending me those scrolls. I don’t think I’d have found them on my own.”</p><p>“It’s the least I could do,” he said. “Not many Genin, let alone academy students, can do it easily. You should keep it in mind when deciding what to study.”</p><p>Sakura opened and closed her mouth, unsure of how to respond to his words yet again. Swallowing again, she stepped back towards her seat and attempted to gather some courage. If it hadn’t been for him, she wouldn’t have tried those exercises out.</p><p>“Still, thank you,” she finally said, after a few seconds had gone by. “No one had ever recommended something to me before.”</p><p>Shisui waved his hand dismissively. “So, tell me, Sakura. Since you are my cousin’s classmate.” Smiling, he reached for the can. “How is your preparation for the graduation exam going?”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sakura frowned at the words Iruka had written that morning on the blackboard. The majority of the board had been taken up by his congratulations at their having become fully-fledged shinobi, together with a number of warnings about the various official duties they would have to undertake from now on. Besides it, smaller in size and at a side, was a list of the cells to which the graduating students of their class had been assigned, and of which none but Team Seven remained.</p>
<p>Sighing, she sunk her chin into her hand and looked at the nearly empty classroom around her, lamenting her choice to not bring anything to read.</p>
<p>The other two members of her team didn’t seem to be faring any better than she was. Naruto, for all of the buzzing excitement he had displayed before, looked restless and fidgety as he paced at the front of the class. The calmness Sasuke seemed want to portray was betrayed by the knit in his brows and the tense way in which he held his shoulders; both the only things that so much as gave a hint about what the dark-haired boy was really thinking.</p>
<p>The sight, so jarringly different from Shisui’s more casual behaviour, was enough to distract her away from Naruto’s agitated pacing. It was rather surprising to see just how different her now-teammate was from his cousin. The older shinobi tended to portray cheer and openness most of the time, whilst Sasuke seemed to be all silence and stares. He was considerably more secretive, though Sakura’d be lying if she said that she hadn’t wondered whether Shisui’s light-hearted visage concealed something dourer and sullener. It had been hard not to; not with the way in which every now and again his eyes would look glazed and distant.</p>
<p>Naruto, who was still pacing at the front of the class, suddenly huffed indignantly. “Why are we the only cell whose teacher hasn’t shown up yet?” he exclaimed. “All the others have gone off with their teacher. Even master Iruka has gone!”</p>
<p>The blond boy’s whole demeanour shifted as soon as he had finished speaking. Turning around abruptly, he walked towards the teacher’s desk. Grabbing a board eraser, he began to drag a chair towards the closed door. He stepped on it with a grin, and board eraser in hand, he began to open the door.</p>
<p>Though she shook her head, Sakura felt the corners of her lips quirk up at Naruto’s actions.</p>
<p>Sasuke’s eyes shot up. “Hey! What are you up to, Naruto?” he asked.</p>
<p>Naruto laughed. “It’s what he gets for making us wait.” He frowned in concentration and wedged the board eraser between the door and the wall. Grinning, he stepped down from the chair and quickly dragged it back to its place before sitting back down. “There!” he exclaimed.</p>
<p>Sasuke snorted. “There is no way that a superior shinobi could get caught in such a simple—.”</p>
<p>The door, as if summoned by her now-teammate’s words, opened. Startled, Sakura watched on as the board eraser fell cleanly on the head of the man that entered. Naruto immediately cackled with laughter, whilst Sasuke’s face contorted into what looked like a scowl.</p>
<p>The Jounin—a silver-haired man in standard gear and with a mask covering half of his face—crinkled his single visible eye shut and made a show of brushing his chin, as if in thought. “Hmm, how could I put this—?”</p>
<p>Grimacing, Sakura braced for the man’s following words. It didn’t look good.</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p><em>It really hadn’t been</em>, Sakura mused the following day.</p>
<p>They had failed the test that the Jounin—Kakashi— had given them on account of their more than lacking teamwork, only to surprisingly pass it afterwards.</p>
<p>It had been a hectic exercise, one which had highlighted just how dysfunctional they had all been as a team. Naruto, despite his enthusiasm, had had to do too much by himself, and Sasuke had been too determined to work alone on account of his goals. She hadn’t been much better, though, especially considering that she had failed to both suggest and participate in any teamwork whatsoever.</p>
<p>At least the atmosphere between them had improved now that they were officially Genin.</p>
<p>Sakura looked up at her teammates as they walked through the third training ground. They were an odd combination, and she had to admit that she wasn’t entirely sure why it had been the three of them that had been put together, rather than with anyone else.</p>
<p>There had to be a reason, right? Particularly given the total lack of teamwork they had demonstrated.</p>
<p>The thought made her frown. She had a lot of things to do. She now could access more advanced scrolls at the library, and she would finally be able to ask the head of the hospital if it would be possible to train in medical ninjutsu.</p>
<p><em>I’ll also have to get better clothes to wear when training</em>, she thought, glancing at her red qipao dress. It had gotten snagged on more than a few branches during the training, and she couldn’t imagine that’d be good should it happen in the field. <em>What mum gave me is good, but it doesn’t seem like it’s too—.</em></p>
<p>Sakura came to a stop as she very nearly crashed into Naruto. As her eyes darted up, she saw the expectant faces of her teammates and buildings—not trees—behind them.</p>
<p>She blinked. <em>When did we get out of the third training ground?</em></p>
<p>“So, Sakura, what do you say?” Naruto asked with a grin, seemingly unaware of the frown their third teammate was wearing.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry, I think I was a bit distracted. What were you—?”</p>
<p>The blond’s grin widened. “Why, a team dinner, of course! It’s only right!” he explained excitedly. “What do you say?”</p>
<p>“Ah,” Sakura said. She frowned slightly as she thought it over. Her mother had told her to return as soon as possible once her training was done, but it wasn’t a bad idea. They were her team, after all. Smiling, she looked back up at Naruto and nodded. “I’d love to.”</p>
<p>The blond boy’s eyes brightened. Not five minutes later the three of them were at a restaurant called Ichiraku Ramen which Naruto, independently of anything Sasuke or herself had suggested, had insisted on. It was a nice place, open and warm, and, judging by the kind smile of the owner, a place which Naruto frequented quite a lot.</p>
<p>“So, what do you think we’ll have to do tomorrow?” Sakura asked, once their noodles had been served.</p>
<p>Naruto looked up from his bowl. “A cool mission, right? Maybe we’ll get to save a princess or fight some criminals! Maybe even…”</p>
<p>Sakura pursed her lips. “Those sound like A-rank missions, don’t they? I doubt we’ll be doing anything but D-rank missions for a while.”</p>
<p>Naruto wilted. “That’s not fair!” he said, moaning in complaint. Then, “what are D-rank missions, anyways?”</p>
<p>Sasuke rolled his eyes. “Weren’t you listening at the academy?” he asked, giving Naruto a pointed look. “As Genin the most we will get to aspire to are D-rank. Maybe C-rank missions, if we get lucky. Things like baby-sitting or running errands.”</p>
<p>“What? Why?” Naruto asked, gesturing widely. His face wrinkled in disgust. “Those are a complete waste of time!”</p>
<p>Sasuke only shrugged in response. Sakura looked down at her noodles, silently agreeing with Naruto’s sentiment. The only benefit of D-rank missions that she could foresee was in learning how to work together better, though they’d still get to train together, at the very least.</p>
<p>She put down her chopsticks and looked at her teammates. <em>Perhaps…?</em></p>
<p>The owner of the restaurant, who had been standing to a side, suddenly straightened his back and bowed at a customer in greeting. At her side, Sasuke twisted his neck to look over his shoulder, as if he had been expecting too see someone. Following his gaze, Sakura turned around, only to see the now-familiar figure that was Shisui standing behind Sasuke.</p>
<p>His voice was cheery. “You must be my little cousin’s Genin team.”</p>
<p>“Shisui,” Sasuke deadpanned. He frowned slightly, looking unimpressed. “What are you doing here?”</p>
<p>Shisui smiled as he leaned against the side of the restaurant. “I just wanted to congratulate you and your team’s successful passing, little cousin,” he said with a smile, sounding altogether too innocent. Unprompted, he reached forwards and ruffled Sasuke’s hair before he could so much as move away. “Congratulations, Sasuke. All of our training finally paid off, didn’t it?”</p>
<p>Naruto laughed. Amazed, Sakura couldn’t help but look on as Sasuke sputtered and glared at his cousin before quickly recomposing himself. Despite his reaction, it didn’t take him long to relax. He was clearly used to Shisui’s presence.</p>
<p>It was a far cry to how he had looked when they had been waiting in the classroom.</p>
<p>“Congratulations to you too, Sakura,” Shisui said. “Funny that you two ended up being in a team together.”</p>
<p>Sakura smiled and turned to face the older shinobi. A niggling of pride blossomed in her chest at the compliment. “Thank you,” she said, altogether too aware of Sasuke’s downright suspicious glare.</p>
<p>Naruto looked incredulously between them. “Who are you?” he asked.</p>
<p>“I’m Shisui,” the older shinobi said with a smile. “Sasuke’s older cousin.”</p>
<p>Naruto glanced at Sasuke, whose expression hadn’t changed, before turning back and offering a wide grin. “I’m Naruto Uzumaki.”</p>
<p>“It’s a pleasure,” Shisui said, nodding, before pushing himself off the side of Ichiraku Ramen. “I’ll be counting on you two to keep my little cousin safe, then. My apologies for interrupting your meal.”</p>
<p>Naruto laughed and elbowed Sasuke, earning a glower from the more stoic boy. Smiling, Sakura looked on as Shisui turned to leave.</p>
<p>Minutes later, once the three of them had finished the ramen and were alone again, her dark-haired teammate finally turned to address her directly.</p>
<p>“Sakura,” Sasuke said, looking at her warily, “just how do you know my cousin?</p>
<p>“I met him at the Senju Park some months ago, after classes at the academy had finished,” Sakura explained. She smiled softly at the memory. “He recommended me some chakra exercises.”</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>Sakura frowned as she jumped from tree branch to tree branch a few metres behind her team. They were almost back at Konoha. It’s walls—far, but not too far off—were plainly visible even amidst the thick forest. They were a wonderful sight, far sweeter than anything she could have imagined after the month they had spent at the Land of Waves.</p>
<p>The mission had been different from anything she could have imagined. It hadn’t taken long for the pride she had felt at the idea of finally being able to put her combat skills and elementary medical ninjutsu into use to fade. It had morphed and changed as the mission had taken shape, revealing just how terrifying the battlefield against Zabuza and Haku had been.</p>
<p>She didn’t think she’d ever be able to forget the bone-chilling dread she had felt whilst facing someone which far outclassed her teammates and her, which would have undoubtedly killed them hadn’t they managed to work together. Neither would she be able to forget the sheer relief she had felt at the knowledge that, much like Kakashi had told them, her teammates were the only real thing that they could rely on out there. That, even if they fought, at the end of the day they were a solid unit.</p>
<p>That hadn’t been the end of it, though. There had also been the surprising, unimaginable potential her two teammates had displayed at things she didn’t think she’d ever be able to excel at. She didn’t have the chakra reserves to even attempt a lot of the ninjutsu Naruto and Sasuke had used, not to mention Sasuke’s and Kakashi’s sharingan.</p>
<p>Sakura clenched her fists. <em>Just how bad</em>, she thought,<em> would things have been if I hadn’t started to train beforehand?</em></p>
<p>A sudden exclamation broke her train of thought. Her posture tensed as her eyes darted to her teammates. Up ahead, Kakashi glanced back only briefly, visibly unconcerned.</p>
<p>“Hey, bastard,” Naruto exclaimed. She couldn’t see his face, but his tone of voice gave away the wide grin on his lips. “I bet you can’t get to Konoha before I can!”</p>
<p>Sasuke snorted. “As if, idiot.”</p>
<p>“What did you say?” Naruto shouted back. His posture tensed as he readied himself for a quicker pace. “You’ll be eating my dust!”</p>
<p>Before long her two teammates had dashed forwards, racing towards the soon-to-be looming gates. Sakura shook her head, not quite managing to stop the smile that grew at the sight. Slowly, she felt herself relax, thoughts easing away from her earlier darker ones.</p>
<p>It hadn’t all been so bad in the end. They had survived, after all, hadn’t they? What was more, so had she, and not just by standing around.</p>
<p>Mind made up, she increased the stream of chakra to her feet and dashed forwards. Her hair fluttered in the wind as she chased after her teammates, almost feeling like she had wings.</p>
<p>She could still reach them.</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>“This may surprise you,” Kakashi calmly explained, “but I’ve recommended all three of you for the Chunin selection exam.” He offered them the three forms he had been carrying in his hands. “You have to fill out applications.”</p>
<p>Naruto darted forwards and took the paper. Grinning victoriously, he raised the application form into the air and looked it over, as if expecting it to disappear. Huffing at the blonde’s antics, Sasuke shook his head and took his own form. It was only when he glanced at her that Sakura finally pushed herself off the railing she had been leaning against. Straightening her posture, she stepped forwards and took her own form, feeling slightly dazed.</p>
<p>“If any of you don’t wish to compete, the exam is entirely voluntary, the choice is yours” Kakashi explained. Slouching forwards, he hid his hands within his pockets. “You don’t need to turn in those application forms unless you want to. If you do, report to Room 301 at the school by four in the afternoon tomorrow.”</p>
<p><em>Tomorrow?</em> Sakura thought disbelievingly.</p>
<p>The Jounin glanced at them through his half-lidded eye, visibly unconcerned as he observed their reactions. Swiftly, he made a single seal. “That is all!” he said, flickering away.</p>
<p>Sakura found herself looking up and staring at the empty space in reverie. “The Chunin selection exams,” she muttered. She looked up at the sky. “Can we really participate in them?”</p>
<p>Her words spurred Naruto into action. “Of course we can!” he exclaimed. He began to walk towards them energetically, holding the edges of his form tightly. “Just think about it, Sakura. The Chunin selection exams!”</p>
<p>Sasuke hummed noncommittally.</p>
<p>She found herself smiling at the blonde’s excitement. “It wasn’t so long ago that we became Genin,” she mused. “I thought we wouldn’t be able to enter for at least another six months.”</p>
<p>“No way! It’s about time we got to participate. No one will be able to beat us,” Naruto proclaimed. He turned to look at Sasuke. “You said your cousin was already a Chunin at our age, right?”</p>
<p>Sasuke nodded curtly. “I’m not sure about when he became a Chunin exactly, but probably. He was as strong as—.” He cut himself off and frowned. A cold gleam surfaced in his eyes, but it was gone before Sakura could pay too much attention to it. “I can guarantee that he was a Genin at five, at least,” he said quietly.</p>
<p>Sakura’s eyes widened. <em>Five?</em></p>
<p>“See? We’ll be Chunin before we know it,” Naruto said eagerly. His grin widened. “I bet there’ll be a lot of tough competition, like—,” he said, looking away, “or—,” he quickly added, turning to glare at Sasuke.</p>
<p>Sasuke scoffed. Turning away, he smirked with anticipation. “Hah.”</p>
<p>Sakura looked back at her application form. Perhaps they could really do it, even if they had graduated relatively recently. Kakashi must have been confident in their skills if he was recommending their participation in the exams, at any rate, and the three of them had all trained as much as they could since they had become a team.</p>
<p>She couldn’t miss this chance, no matter how difficult the exams turned out to be.</p>
<p>Smiling, she looked at her two teammates. “We should meet here tomorrow, before the exam,” she suggested. “That way we can all go together.”</p>
<p>Naruto beamed. “Of course!” he declared. Besides him, Sasuke grunted in agreement. “Hey, now that I think about it,” he said, looking at the spot Kakashi had been standing at with a strange, pensive expression, “will Kakashi be training us at all today? We were waiting here for ages.”</p>
<p>“I can’t imagine he will,” Sakura answered. Sasuke frowned, seemingly unhappy with the thought. “He probably wants us to prepare for tomorrow.”</p>
<p>It didn’t take long for Naruto to protest loudly. Silently agreeing with him, Sakura looked up at the sky. It was blue and cloudless, and the sun was shining brightly. It was a shame they didn’t have a mission to complete or any training to do as a team, but at least it’d mean more time practicing at the hospital with Kumadori and Hosho.</p>
<p>“I think I will go to the hospital now. Maybe I can start training with Kumadori earlier than usual,” Sakura said, moments later. She smiled. “I’ll see you here tomorrow, right?”</p>
<p>Naruto grinned again. “Of course, Sakura! Right, Sasuke?” he said, elbowing their third teammate.</p>
<p>“Stop doing that, idiot!”</p>
<p>Sakura’s smile widened. Nodding, she turned around and began to make her way to the hospital she had gotten so used to frequenting lately.</p>
<p>The sky was pink and orange by the time she returned home, sunset looming large over the western sky. Feeling satisfied after what had been a productive day of training, first at the hospital and later on her own, Sakura opened the front door. Quickly directing herself to the bathroom, she washed the dirt and sweat off her body before going to her room to pack for the coming day.</p>
<p>It didn’t take too long to decide on what to take: her medical kit—originally a gift from Kumadori from after she had started to learn medical ninjutsu, a few bottled poisons, her kunai, and her shuriken. Having gathered her things, she sorted them out into her pouches and then turned to prepare her clothes; the dark standard trousers she had taken to wearing lately, her elbow-length shirt, and her black sandals.</p>
<p>Her home’s front door opened with a loud creak. “Sakura are you home?” her mother asked.</p>
<p>“I’m in my room,” she answered.</p>
<p>Her mother walked up to Sakura’s room, sounding enthusiastic. “I’m sorry it took me so long to get back home, Sakura. I was shopping at the market and time simply flew by. Our neighbour’s going to be expecting a—.”</p>
<p>Sakura frowned at her mother’s sudden silence. “Has something happened?”</p>
<p>She turned to look at her when she didn’t answer. Her mother was looking at her silently, brows furrowed as she took note of everything she had been laying out atop her bed. A heavy feeling settled in her stomach as she recognised her mother’s silence for what it likely was.</p>
<p>“Mum?” she asked. “Are you alright?”</p>
<p>“Why are you packing so many things into your pouches, Sakura?” Mebuki asked stiltedly. “Do you have another long mission tomorrow?”</p>
<p>Smiling nervously, Sakura sat back down on her bed. She hated having these conversations. “It’s for the Chunin exams,” she explained. “Kakashi told us we could participate.”</p>
<p>“Chunin exams?” Mebuki echoed. She shook her head. “Isn’t it still too early? You’ve all only just graduated. What if something were to happen?” She stepped into her room and kneeled in front of her- “Are you sure you can do it, Sakura? You know how strong those two teammates of yours are. Your father was far older when he became a Chunin.”</p>
<p>Sakura turned to look to an old photograph of her dad which sat atop her nightstand, besides one of her team. Breathing in, she willed herself to explain the situation as best as she could. “Kakashi said that—.”</p>
<p>Mebuki ignored her. “You don’t need to force yourself to do something like this if you don’t want to, sweetie.” She smiled weakly. “You can tell your teacher that you would rather take the exams in a year or two, if that’s when you are ready.”</p>
<p>Sakura narrowed her eyes. Pressing her lips together, she stood up and shook her mother’s hand off her shoulder. She always acted this way. “Mum, I know what I am getting myself into,” she said, trying to keep her voice steady. “You know I’ve been training a lot, and if Kakashi gave us the application forms he must think we’re ready.”</p>
<p>“I know. I’m sorry, Sakura, but it’s just so dangerous.” Mebuki took a deep breath and stood back up, looking resigned. “You’re not even an adult yet.”</p>
<p>Sakura looked away. “I want to take the exam with my team. I can’t disappoint them,” she said. Swallowing her nervousness away, she forced herself to meet her mother’s eyes. “You can’t take this away from me.”</p>
<p>Mebuki gave another long-resigned sigh. “If you’re sure it’s what you want to do, Sakura,” she said, sounding defeated. “I’ll be making dinner now, though it won’t be ready for a while.”</p>
<p>Sakura tried to ignore the guilt she felt at the sight of her mother dejectedly leaving the room. Turning to look at the equipment she had lined up, she thought back to her team, whom she had gotten used so to spending time with. To Shisui, who still gave her pointers on certain techniques whenever they happened to run into each other at the Senju park.</p>
<p>Slowly, a sense of determination replaced the guilt her mother’s reaction had made her feel. She’d just have to do as best as she could in the selection exams. The only way her mother would understand how wrong she was would be if she showed her what she was capable of achieving.</p>
<p>Looking down, she resumed her preparations for the coming morning.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>First of all, thanks for reading this story. It was wonderful to see that people enjoyed the first chapter enough to favourite, follow, and review the story. Edits aside, I originally wrote it a few years ago, so I wasn’t sure what to expect.</p>
<p>Whilst I realise that I could take the early plot slower, I decided to leave the original drafting of the story in this regard unchanged to try to avoid getting bogged down in details (else I’ll never manage to finish this story). The next chapter is already written, it just needs to be edited, so it should be up in three weeks.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Here is once again, as promised, the third chapter of 'Ridges Between Rice Fields'; this time featuring the start of the Chunin exams; this time featuring (as expected) the start of the Chunin exams.</p>
<p>Thank you once again to all of the people that commented, left kudos, and subscribed to the story! It means a lot to see that this piece has been enjoyable so far, particularly given how it was gathering metaphorical dust on my computer. Your support is truly appreciated.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They knelt together beneath the roots of a tree once the Ame-nin had run away. Sakura observed her surroundings as she crouched beneath them, unnerved by the sense of safety and secrecy which they seemed to offer. The roots towered over them, far surpassing them in height, and shielded them from the rest of the environment. Around them, the forty-fourth Training Ground was almost completely silent, giving the deceptive impression of being empty.</p>
<p>“Remember this. If we get separated again we can’t trust each other blindly,” Sasuke said lowly. He alternated between looking at Naruto and Sakura, his expression nothing but calm. “Else, it could end up the way this did.”</p>
<p>Sakura pressed her lips together. <em>He’s already got a plan</em>, she thought. Swallowing saliva, she leant forwards, towards him. “What are you thinking of doing?” she whispered</p>
<p>It didn’t take Sasuke long to reply. “The safest thing is for us to have a secret password,” he explained. “That way, we’ll know. No matter who they look like or how they sound, if one of us gets it wrong, they’re an enemy.”</p>
<p>Naruto nodded, looking high strung. “What password should we use?”</p>
<p>Sasuke turned away and looked at the area around them. It was deserted, devoid of any animals or other people, with only leaves and sticks on sight. His eyes briefly fixed on what seemed to be a bamboo stick protruding from the ground behind them.</p>
<p>The sight made Sakura frown. Briefly, the memory of the out-of-place puddle they had encountered on the road to the Land of Waves flashed through her mind. <em>Strange</em>, she thought, <em>that there’s only one piece of bamboo growing in the area</em>.</p>
<p>Her eyes darted to Sasuke. Knowing her teammate, it was impossible for him to not have noticed the piece of bamboo’s strange location. So why hadn’t he said anything?</p>
<p>“Listen very carefully. I’ll say it only once, it’s a poem called <em>‘Ninki</em>’—‘Ninja Opportunity’. When I ask for it, here is what you respond.” Sasuke paused and looked at the roots above him briefly before continuing, as if trying to remember the poem’s verses. “We thrive in the chaos of the enemy tide. Quiet shinobi don’t need dens to hide. Our only concern is to watch and wait until the enemy lowers the gate.”</p>
<p>Sakura’s eyes widened. <em>Ah—</em>, she thought, <em>so that’s it</em>. Smiling, she resisted the impulse to look back at the piece of bamboo. “Alright.”</p>
<p>Naruto’s face contorted into a scowl. “And how do you expect me to remember that?” he exclaimed. “We need a better password!”</p>
<p>“Don’t be an idiot, it’s easy to remember,” Sasuke quickly bit back. He began to stand up. “Let’s get going. I’ll take the scroll.”</p>
<p>Naruto leaped to his feet, ready to protest. Sakura followed him, intending to calm her teammate down. “Naruto—,” she began to say, only to freeze mid-step and frown.</p>
<p>Something had changed.</p>
<p>Suddenly, an explosive gust of wind blew towards them. Sasuke and Sakura leaped away. Landing on a tree branch, she watched as the orange blur that was Naruto was carried briskly away by the wind. She pushed herself further into the canopy and, drawing a kunai, examined the area around them, trying to orient herself.</p>
<p>She bit her lip. <em>It’s… empty? </em>she thought frantically. She couldn’t see any enemies, nor any sign of Sasuke.</p>
<p>Stepping back into the leaves, Sakura forced herself to look over her surroundings again. Seconds trickled by as she attempted to locate something that would give away her teammate’s position. They couldn’t be too far off, and neither could the enemy team that had attacked them with the gust of wind.</p>
<p>Her eyes widened. <em>There—!</em></p>
<p>Sakura jumped off her branch, towards the small clearing where Sasuke now stood, only to have him turn to face her immediately.</p>
<p>“Stay back, don’t come near!” he shouted. He pointed his kunai at her. “What’s the password?”</p>
<p>Sakura gripped her kunai tighter. Swallowing nervously, she forced herself to repeat the poem. He didn’t expect Naruto to remember it, but her situation was a bit different.</p>
<p>Before Sasuke could so much as acknowledge her answer, Naruto leapt to the ground and ran towards them. “Are you both alright?” he asked.</p>
<p>Sakura frowned and tightened her grip on her kunai. She glanced at Sasuke, who, despite doing the same, had chosen to deceitfully lower his arms.</p>
<p>“The password, Naruto,” he demanded.</p>
<p>Her blond teammate grinned. “Oh, right. ‘Ninki’,” he said. “We thrive in the chaos of the enemy tide. Quiet shinobi don’t need dens to hide. Our—.”</p>
<p>Sasuke threw his kunai at Naruto, interrupting his attempt to finish the poem. The blond darted to his left, dodging the weapon.</p>
<p>“Hey!” he shouted. “What was that for?”</p>
<p>Readying herself, Sakura pointed her kunai at Naruto. “Who are you?” she yelled.</p>
<p>The figure chuckled. Shaking his head, he made single hand seal and transformed into one of the Kusagakure Genin she could remember seeing in the first exam—the tall man with long, black hair and a straw hat.</p>
<p>“Well done!” he jeered. “What gave me away?”</p>
<p>Smirking, Sasuke glanced at Sakura and readied his posture. “We knew you were underground, eavesdropping on everything we said,” he explained. “That’s why I chose that kind of password. The kind that the real Naruto would never be able to memorise something like that that quickly.”</p>
<p>The Genin’s smile grew. “I see. Watch and wait, eh?” He lowered his straw hat. “This is going to be more fun than I thought.”</p>
<p>Pressing her lips together, Sakura kept her gaze on the strange-looking man, not daring to look away. A shiver ran through her spine. Naruto—the real Naruto—was nowhere to be seen. What had happened to him?</p>
<p>The enemy shinobi chuckled and drew an earth scroll from his robes. “I suppose you’d like to steal my earth scroll, then, wouldn’t you?”</p>
<p>He lifted the scroll up into the air. Amazed, Sakura observed as the Genin opened his mouth and wrapped a long, disgusting tongue around it. Straightening his posture, swallowed it and glared at Sasuke and Sasuke.</p>
<p>“We’ll fight to the death for it, then!”</p>
<p>The man lunged at them with a sword before Sasuke or her could react. Raising it, he cut Sasuke’s torso open. Barely a moment later, as if with the same moment, he threw a kunai at Sakura. It lodged itself into her head almost immediately, before she could so much as register the blood that had sprouted out of her teammate’s torso.</p>
<p>Her eyes widened. <em>A genjutsu!</em></p>
<p>Trembling from the pain, Sakura drew her hands together and disrupted her chakra’s flow. “Kai!” she shouted.</p>
<p>Her vision cleared. Dimly, she felt herself collapse onto her knees. Grasping at the ground besides her in an attempt to reach her fallen kunai, she heard Sasuke stab his own leg, only to vomit once he had freed himself from the genjutsu.</p>
<p>A cold terror made its way through her as she discreetly looked at the enemy Genin, who was observing them silently from his position a few metres away. <em>A glance</em>, she thought, breathing shakily.<em> He cast the illusion with a glance.</em></p>
<p>Just what sort of monster was this?</p>
<p>This wasn’t a Genin trying to become a Chunin. She and Sasuke would have to retreat if they wanted to make it; evade him, somehow, and find Naruto. Otherwise, they wouldn’t stand a chance.</p>
<p>Gathering her resolve, she pulled herself up and grabbed Sasuke’s arm. Seeming to understand what she wanted to do, he nodded and began to run towards a nearby tree. The tell-tale sound of kunai hitting wood rang behind them as they ran up the large tree trunk, towards the canopy up above.</p>
<p>“Sasuke. We need to find Naruto and—.”</p>
<p>The dark-haired boy glared at her. “Stay quiet! We don’t know when—!”</p>
<p>A flash of purple and yellow burst from the shadows of the canopy. Sakura and Sasuke leapt away as its wake rushed past them. Sakura’s widened at the sight. It was a snake; a huge, monstrous animal that was too agile for its size.</p>
<p>It didn’t take long before it lunged at them again. Leaping further ahead, they dodged the white flash that were its fangs. Twisting in the air, Sasuke aimed three shuriken at its head. They hit the beast in full, nailing it to a nearby tree branch. Sakura’s lips parted in shock as, somehow, the Kusagakure Genin then emerged from the snake. Glaring at them, killing intent clear, he dashed towards them.</p>
<p>Her eyes darted to Sasuke’s. <em>A plan, we need a plan</em>, she thought desperately. They wouldn’t be making it otherwise<em>. </em>“Sasuke!”</p>
<p>No flash of chakra or warning of any sort came. Suddenly, in the empty space before them, an ANBU stood between them and the strange-looking man. A single hand seal later he was blowing a wall of fire. The Kusagakure Genin, hit in full, retreated to a branch further below; his face melting away into unrecognisable, pale features marked by purple.</p>
<p>Sakura’s hands trembled as she looked at the unknown shinobi. He was wearing the standard ANBU gear and armour, alongside a tanto sword strapped at the right side of his back. A porcelain mask hid away any distinguishing feature or expression she could have hoped to see, leaving only short, tousled, dark hair in the open.</p>
<p>Sasuke’s posture tensed in recognition. He knew who the ANBU was. “Shisui, what are you doing here?” he asked.</p>
<p>The ANBU didn’t reply. Instead, he focused on the Kusagakure Genin below. “Orochimaru,” he said tonelessly. “I thought you’d know better than to approach my little cousin.”</p>
<p>Sakura tightened her grip on her kunai and lowered herself into a defensive posture. Narrowing her eyes, she kept her sight fixed on the strange shinobi, not quite understanding just what was going on. Why would a missing-nin like Orochimaru be inside the forty-fourth training ground?</p>
<p>The enemy shinobi laughed. “I was having marvellous fun, having him show me his tricks.” He hunched forwards, his arms loose at his sides despite the tautness evident in his posture. “Still, he doesn’t seem to be much compared to his brother, does he? He hasn’t even used his sharingan yet.”</p>
<p>Sasuke’s jaw clenched shut. His grip on his shuriken tightened painfully, drawing blood from the palm of his hand.</p>
<p>“Don’t think I didn’t hear about that little fight you had with him a few years back,” Shisui said easily. “What made you think you’d be successful here?”</p>
<p>“Shunshin no Shisui.” Orochimaru’s tongue slithered out. Leaning forwards, he licked his lips excitedly. “You may have been great before, but now? After losing one of those eyes of yours?” he mused. The chakra in the area slowly began to thicken, until it was almost difficult to breathe. “I wonder, what would happen if I took the other?”</p>
<p>Shisui’s shoulders rose as he huffed. If the words affected him, he didn’t show it. Reaching back, he drew his tanto and directed a brief, silent look at them. “Sasuke. Sakura. Naruto’s heading here from the East. He’s uninjured,” he reported. “Go.”</p>
<p>He disappeared before Sasuke could reply. A second later the branch Orochimaru had been standing on shattered under the force of his attack. Amazed, Sakura couldn’t help but watch as the same person she had first met that day years ago moved faster than her eyes could actually see.</p>
<p>She had never seen anything like it before. He was fast, impossibly so, and try as she might she wasn’t able to follow his path or actions. The second she seemed to spot him he was already somewhere else, like a ghost, attacking Orochimaru with what almost seemed to be afterimages of himself.</p>
<p>Standing up, Sakura looked at Sasuke. They couldn’t stay here. They had to leave. “Sasuke,” she whispered, “we need to find Naruto.”</p>
<p>Her teammate nodded and leapt in the direction Shisui had indicated. Sakura glanced at the increasingly chaotic area beneath her before following him. There was nothing they could do—they’d only get in the way.</p>
<p>It didn’t take long before they found Naruto. Their blond teammate, visibly unhurt despite looking slightly worse for wear, landed on a nearby tree branch. Grinning, he crossed his arms. “I’m sorry, Sasuke, but I can’t remember that stupid password!”</p>
<p>A smile instantly grew on Sakura’s face. It really was Naruto.</p>
<p>“Naruto,” she said, feeling relieved. She jumped towards him, with Sasuke following after her. “What happened to you? You disappeared after that shinobi attacked us.”</p>
<p>“I’m not sure. One second, I was there. The next I was alone with a huge snake; it even ate me.” He then paused, seeming to give her words thought. “Who attacked us?” Naruto finally asked. He turned to face Sasuke. “Your cousin appeared all of a sudden, after I managed to burst out of the snake, though he didn’t say what he was doing there.”</p>
<p>Sasuke crouched down. Glancing back at the area they had just left, from which remnants of thick and oppressive chakra could still be felt, he seemed to relax minutely.</p>
<p>“It was Orochimaru,” he said hesitantly. “He was disguised as one of the Kusagakure Genin.”</p>
<p>Naruto frowned. “Who?”</p>
<p>Sasuke shook his head, but otherwise said nothing. Pursing her lips, Sakura took it upon herself to explain what little she knew about the strange man who had attacked them. “He’s a missing-nin from our village,” she said. “Had Shisui not appeared when he did…”</p>
<p>The thought made her grimace. Given how the fight had been progressing and how little they had actually managed to do, it was clear that things would have gone horribly wrong but for Shisui’s appearance.</p>
<p><em>Just what did Orochimaru want from us, anyways?</em> she wondered. There was little reason for a missing-nin like him to appear at the Chunin selection exams. He had to have had a motive or an underlying goal of some sort, but what could have been?</p>
<p>“Should we tell someone?” she said, voicing her concerns. “Someone like Orochimaru shouldn’t be in the village at all. There must be something else going on.”</p>
<p>“Don’t bother,” Sasuke said, shaking his head. “Shisui’s there now.”</p>
<p>She bit her lip. “But Sasuke—.”</p>
<p>“No.”</p>
<p>“Sakura has a point,” Naruto said, glaring at their third teammate. “What if that guy returns?”</p>
<p>“Neither of you understand.” Standing back up, he looked at them with an oddly neutral expression. “My cousin is one of the best shinobi my clan ever produced. Yes, he has the sharingan, but that is not why he was added to the bingo book. He was good enough to defeat—.”</p>
<p>He cut himself off and looked down, clenching his jaw. His body tensed.</p>
<p>Sakura’s expression fell. Something had angered him, that much was clear, but she didn’t know what it was that had prompted the uncharacteristic emotion. “Sasuke?” she asked.</p>
<p>“Shisui will be fine,” he affirmed. “We should retreat somewhere safe and continue with the exam. We would only get in the way.”</p>
<p>Sakura met Naruto’s bewildered look. She didn’t like the thought of abandoning Shisui should something happen, but he was right.</p>
<p>Naruto reached the same conclusion. “Okay,” he said. “Let’s go somewhere else, then.”</p>
<p>The three of them leapt forwards and began to press on, only coming to a stop once the sounds of battle had faded away completely and the air was easier to breathe. Landing near a particularly large tree, they quickly set about securing the perimeter. They’d need to rest and put together a plan after the two attacks they had suffered if they wanted to continue.</p>
<p>Standing up, Sakura scanned her two teammates from head to toe. Though somehow Naruto was completely uninjured, the same couldn’t be said for Sasuke. The cut in his hand was deeper than it had seemed to be at first, and it hadn’t even begun to close. It would most likely get in the way of any of the fighting they would have to do.</p>
<p>Opening one of her pouches, she took out her medical kit and walked towards Sasuke, who was leaning against the tree.</p>
<p>He glanced at her medical kit with distaste. “It’s only a cut, I’ll be okay.”</p>
<p>“Sasuke.”</p>
<p>The dark-haired boy sighed and nodded, sitting down. “Fine,” he grumbled.</p>
<p>Sakura smiled and kneeled besides him. She placed her medical kit on the floor and, making a hand seal, focused her chakra to the palms of her hands. Though she still hadn’t mastered the mystical palm technique Kumadori had showed her, she could perform wound disinfection and other, lesser techniques well enough to use them.</p>
<p>Half a minute went by before she stopped and reached for her medical kit, drawing out a roll of bandages.</p>
<p>“There,” she said, securing a thin bandage around her teammate’s hand. She smiled as he looked at his hand silently. “That should be fine now,” she said, pulling herself up.</p>
<p>“Sasuke.”</p>
<p>Despite the voice’s audible friendliness, Sakura found herself instinctively pulling herself into a defensive crouch and spinning around despite the voice’s apparent friendliness, only to breathe out in relief at the sight Shisui’s now-familiar ANBU armour. His posture, loose and relaxed, bore no immediate signs of what had just taken place. Only the dents and scratches on his arm guards gave away the fact that he had just battled against a missing-nin.</p>
<p>Her teammate looked up at his cousin. “What happened to Orochimaru?”</p>
<p>“He ran away. I don’t think he’ll be back,” Shisui said succinctly, not quite managing to keep the note of worry from his otherwise light tone of voice. He began to approach Sasuke. “Did he harm you in any way?”</p>
<p>“No.”</p>
<p>Shisui let out a short, relieved breath. Crouching down in front of Sasuke, he reached out and ruffled his hair. “Good. I made it in time, then,” he said more cheerfully. “Be careful with him if you ever run into him again. He’s dangerous.” He turned to face Naruto and Sakura. “Were either of you harmed?”</p>
<p>Naruto shook his head. Sakura quickly did the same, pausing to look—finally—at the shape of the porcelain mask that her friend wore. A hawk; white and clean, with very few red markings around its eyes. Beneath it, she saw a single sharingan spinning, bright in his gaze.</p>
<p>Did he know why someone like Orochimaru had chosen to approach them?</p>
<p>“I’m glad to hear that,” Shisui said earnestly. Waving an arm, he looked up, as if searching for something. “I’ll go to notify the Hokage of this. Best of luck in this second part of the exam, all of you.”</p>
<p>The three watched the older shinobi leapt away, unmoving and silent. It was only a few seconds after his departure that Naruto whirled around and, gaping, pointed a finger at Sasuke.</p>
<p>“What is it, dot?” the dark-haired boy asked indignantly.</p>
<p>Naruto scowled. “The scroll, bastard. Do you still have it?”</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>The Suna-nin grinned as he walked away from the exam proctor that had been supervising the matches, towards the viewing platform he had been previously waiting at.</p>
<p>Sakura looked on intently, surprised by the sheer expertise that he had demonstrated with his puppetry. Besides her, her teammates wore similar expressions to her own, with Sasuke seeming particularly engrossed at the idea of learning just how the foreign Genin had defeated his opponent.</p>
<p>She frowned as she looked back at the hall where the fight had just taken place. What would have happened had she been the one chosen to fight against him? How well would she have done?</p>
<p>Though the battle had not been as quick as Shino’s against the Oto-nin or her teammate’s own against one of Kabuto’s teammates, it hadn’t taken it too long to end. Seeing the puppet master technique from up close had surprised her, particularly given the sheer precision and skill with which it had been used. It had turned the entire fight around, making the Sunagakure Genin win where he had previously been at risk of losing.</p>
<p>“In any event, I think it’s time for the fourth match,” the exam proctor called.</p>
<p>Naruto grinned eagerly, crossing his arms. “This is like a never-ending freak show!”</p>
<p>“Look who’s talking,” Kakashi responded lazily. Freezing minutely, he leaned forwards and rested a gloved hand on Sakura’s shoulder. “Look,” he said, pointing towards the screen hanging from the hall’s top.</p>
<p>Tensing, Sakura looked at the screen. A tiny gasp escaped her mouth as she saw the two names that were now displayed on it. “Oh.”</p>
<p>Ino. Out of all the remaining Chunin candidates, she would have to fight Ino.</p>
<p>Naruto grinned. Turning towards her, he patted her encouragingly in the back. “You can do it, Sakura!” he exclaimed.</p>
<p>Sakura pressed her lips together and observed as the blonde girl she had once known so well began to descend the staircase that led to the hall’s floor. She didn’t look cowed at all. Clenching her hands, she turned to look at her teacher. The corner of his only visible eye was crinkling. Besides him, looking at her from his other side, Sasuke was smirking.</p>
<p>Straightening her posture, she began to walk towards the same staircase, keeping a watchful eye on her old friend. She didn’t know how far she had come since the last time she had seen her attempt to use her techniques, though it must have been a fair amount for her team to manage to make it through the second part of the Chunin selection exams.</p>
<p>Gathering her resolve, she began to mentally run through the different ways she could choose to fight against her. It would be difficult, and if she wasn’t careful Ino would be sure to take her out, but she was sure that she could win.</p>
<p>Smirking slightly, she came to a stop opposite the blonde girl and glanced at one of her pouches. She could do this. She refused to be the first member of her team to lose.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you for reading this story! I originally wrote this in 2017, but never got around actually posting it. Given how there isn't a take quite like this one on the Uchiha Massacre (at least as far as I know) I decided that polishing and posting it would be a good idea. I've always liked the idea of Shisui/Sakura and alternate takes on canon events, which accounts as to why I couldn't resist revisiting this idea.</p><p>Updates will be consistent, if (most likely) slightly sporadic. The first few chapters have already been written, so a new chapter will be coming every few weeks. As always, all mistakes are my own.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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